Tips for Choosing your Cake Design

Never google with your kids

The most common mistake I see when it comes to choosing birthday cakes is to let your kids loose on google!  Search up “superhero cakes” and watch your Batman fans eyes light up in awe.  Tremble with fear as he picks a 3 tiered fondant masterpiece created by some genius pastry chef!

Find a time without technology say bath time and ask “What THEME would you like for your cake this year?”

Location, location, location

It’s important to remember where you’re cake will be served when you choose a design. If you’re heading to a venue by car then it might be best to stay away from anything 3D.  It’s guaranteed to topple in the car and they may not have TALL fridge space when you get there,  so check before you bake.  If you heading to the park you might want to make sure your design will fit in the eskie to keep it cool.

It takes longer than you think

Work out how much time you’re going to have to make your cake in the lead up to the party.  If you have heaps of time then you can have fun creating something more detailed. But if life’s crazy give yourself an easy option so that you can enjoy creating your cake.

Strong simple design

Tricky shapes often require heaps of cuts and leads to lots of crumbs and lots of wasted cake.  A simple shape will be easier to ice and easier to decorate.  Take a ninja turtle cake for example.  Creating the whole turtle means cutting out the arms and legs body and a small head. Then you have to try and create all the tiny details not to mention icing round those arms and legs as they tear away from the cake sticking to the icing spatula!!  If you just make the head it’s a nice solid shape, easy to ice and all you have to add is the mask, eyes and smile.  Bingo, guaranteed success!

Create a short list

It’s time to create a short list of possible designs to show the birthday boy or girl. If you can’t find a cake on google similar to what you are looking for why not pull up cartoon images of the type of character you’re hoping to make.  If you only want to make the face just screen shot it to your phone and crop to show the part you want to make.  Colouring pages make great templates too. A great option is to simply describe the options to your child. This will give you more flexibility when making the cake.   For my girls they always knew the theme but the actual design was a surprise!  I think this is by far the best way to go.

PS It’s so much easier to order a CAKE 2 THE RESCUE DIY Cake kit!!

Now you’re ready to create your cake!

So don’t forget, keep the kids away from google and suggest possible designs that suit your baking level. If your party is outside make sure your cake is easy to transport and fits in an eskie on a hot day.  Strong simple designs look great and are achieveable to make when you are time poor.  Lastly, make a short list and then show the kids to choose their favourite.

What’s the scariest design your kids have every asked for?  Love to hear about it in the comments x